In anticipation of a huge weekend of festivals and traffic, the city of Atlanta will follow a special traffic and safety plan Friday through Sunday.
This weekend, the city will play host to two festivals: the 75th annual Dogwood Festival in Piedmont Park and the Sweetwater 420 Fest in Candler Park. The Atlanta Braves are also playing the New York Mets at Turner Field.
In addition, events at the Georgia World Congress Center, the Woodruff Arts Center and the Rialto Center for the Arts are all expected to have significant attendance.
The Atlanta Police Department will have officers at all major venues in the city this weekend to ensure smooth traffic flow and crowd safety.
The APD will employ three mobile command posts and will be prepared to move quickly if public safety needs arise. The Atlanta Fire Rescue Department will have Special Events EMS Bike Teams, which consist of emergency medical technicians and paramedics, in Piedmont Park and at other city locations.
The city has not issued any permits for Freaknik or any Freaknik-type gatherings this weekend.
Weather permitting, several ongoing weekend construction projects will be in full swing again on metro interstates.
Resurfacing on I-75 in Cobb and Fulton counties will require closures varying from one to three lanes in both directions on I-75 between Cumberland Boulevard and the Techwood/16th Street/14th Street exit from 8 p.m. Friday until 5 a.m. Monday, according to the state Department of Transportation.
Crews will also be working on bridge joints in two lanes of I-20 eastbound near Six Flags, while on I-85 southbound, drainage repairs could shut down the three right lanes and ramps between Spur 14/Ga. 279 and I-285.
The DOT says there could also be delays on some metro interstates this weekend as a convoy of oversized vehicles will be ferrying huge machinery parts from the Port of Savannah to the Kia plant in West Point.
The first shipment will come through metro Atlanta Friday night, heading north on I-75 to I-285, then west on I-285 to I-85 and south on I-85 to the Kia plant. A second convoy will follow the same route on Saturday night.
The DOT said the trucks and their escort vehicles will be taking up two travel lanes.
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